…five parastatals to be privatised
BY DELISA THWALA
MBABANE– The first edition of the Eswatini Economic Update: Raising the Game with Efficient State-Owned Enterprises was launched yesterday by The World Bank and Kingdom of Eswatini Government.
It was revealed that Eswatini’s Economic outlook is promising but was subject to multiple risks. This was revealed by Minister of finance Neal Rijkenberg.
He said there was continued strength in SACU revenues and that there was moderate global economic recovery.
So yesterday The World Bank published the first edition of the Eswatini Economic Update, entitled Raising the Game with Efficient State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), in partnership with the Government of Eswatini.
The launch was addressed by Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly, World Bank Country Director for Eswatini and Eswatini’s Minister of Finance, Neal Rijkenberg.
Presentation of the report was shortly followed by a panel discussion facilitated by the World Bank’s Resident Representative for Eswatini, Ikechi Okorie.
This was also where it was revealed that the government of Eswatini has agreed on an outline to privatise some of its State Owned Enterprises (SOEs).
These are Pigg’s Peak Hotel, Eswatini Bank, the Airport Operations of the Eswatini Civil Aviation Authority (ESWACCA), Eswatini Railways, Royal Eswatini National Airways Corporation (RENAC).
Meanwhile Neal said the report analyses recent global and domestic economic developments, assessing Eswatini’s short- and medium-term prospects.
“It also examines the role of SOEs in enhancing economic performance, evaluating their contribution to the economy, identifying limitations, and proposing areas and actions for reform. The report highlights the urgent need for action to achieve socio-economic aspirations, reduce poverty, and address high unemployment rate,” said the Minister.
Worth noting is that The World Bank in Eswatini provides support to the government in three key areas: improving human capital formation, budget management and governance, and increasing competitiveness.
